Expert-Led Training: Proven Methods, Real Transformations

Great heeling is a pleasure to watch. Dog and handler moving together as one. The dog is happy, animated, joyful and confident. Heeling is a dance that should express joy and teamwork. How do you accomplish that? Great fundamentals! Heeling is a complex behavior chain incorporating focal point, position and engagement. I break heeling down into pieces that will make sense to you AND your dog. Each piece is taught as a fun trick. With clear communication and consistent criteria your dog will enjoy learning how to heel. We will work on handling to ensure you are being the best possible partner for your dog. We will start with straight line heeling and add the foundation for halts and turns. Whether your dog is learning how to heel or knows how to heel and has some holes, this course is for you.

Is your dog worried about the noises around her? This class is for you! Whether the issue is in your house with your dog barking at the sounds outside, or you have a dog that can't go out because buildings creak and doors slam, this class can help. If your dog barks at what he hears and stresses up, or shakes and withdraws and stresses down, we can work to make him feel more at ease. Noise issues tend to get worse if we don't step in and help, so dogs really need us to have a solid plan to intervene and help them through this emotional challenge!

Many dogs begin their agility careers with a solid start line - only to see that behavior slowly unravel over time. Why does a reliable start line hold up for some dogs but not others? Why do some teams struggle, even when the dogs were trained the same way and handled by the same person?

Dog training is like balancing on a tightrope. We want our dogs to be happy, engaged and motivated. Yet we also need precision which often leads to a loss of enthusiasm. It’s a delicate dance. Once dogs have learned the exercises it becomes a challenge to maintain them. Dogs get bored, they lose enthusiasm and the exercises degrade. In this class we will look at a variety of strategies and games to maintain motivation for all exercises. You will learn how to get precision without losing animation. We will look at using aides to help achieve balance and, more importantly, how to fade them. You will learn how to break exercises down to keep the pieces fun and exciting without losing accuracy. You will learn how to use backchaining, jackpot training and how to handle anticipation. You will also learn how to balance your dog’s arousal to ensure they are in an optimal state to perform at a high level. Whether you are starting to put the pieces together or your dog is competing, this course will help you maintain enthusiasm without losing precision.

Is your dog TOO friendly? Over-excited, jumpy, and perhaps even a little unwittingly rude with how eagerly they greet you, other family members, or strangers? If you’ve found yourself wishing that your dog had better manners when it comes to people greetings, then this class is for you!